And while we’re at it, we would just like to point out that we fully support our friends at CERF too. Mr. Owen speculates that our former attorney, founder of CERF, and Surfrider Foundation member, Mr. Gonzalez, is a ‘lonewolf’ and, “his legal conduct are why we parted ways with him”. This is simply nonsense and nothing more than a figment of Mr. Owen’s imagination. We respect the work of Mr. Gonzalez and Coastkeeper and remain committed partners in a growing coalition of organizations that have objections to the design and location of this proposed facility. As previously stated, we are committed to fighting this ill-conceived desalination project, and Mr. Gonzalez and his team are our colleagues and partners in this effort. We look forward to many joint projects in the future with CERF.

When we have time, we’ll take apart all of Mr. Owen’s speculations and misrepresentations to help him understand why the project he so desperately endorses is not a fit for San Diegans.

In short, not only is the protection of our coast and ocean important to the environment and the quality of life in our community – it is an equally important asset to local businesses. It seems ironic that the business community attracted to our region because of our beautiful coast and ocean would go to such extraordinary lengths to support a project that adversely impacts the very reason we live and work here. Our suspicion and hope is that Mr. Owen’s inflammatory and simply false personal attacks are not reflective of the larger business community.

We have engaged in a respectful debate about the merits of the project, and suggested superior alternatives for meeting the water needs of San Diegans. We will maintain that level of civility and refuse to be “baited” into personal attacks that distract from legitimate concerns about Poseidon’s proposed ocean desalination factory.